You're Mermazing!

 

Hi friends!

I hope you are doing mermazing!

I'll be running errands and picking things up this week

for our big trip - woohoo!

I'm swimming by with today's card that

has so much creativity 

in all the stitches, nooks and crannies.

The background ~ watercolored with Simon Hurley Creates lunar paste!

Watch for the video on my YouTube channel this week ~

Wow, what messy fun that was!

The images are from Neat and Tangled and

colored with copics for a SHELL-a-bration theme.

I'm in an Instagram card hop with some fintastic friends

and the theme is: shells!

I used a watercolor panel to stamp/die cut a bunch of shells

and layered them on the ocean floor.

I have to save, I'm slightly obsessed with the colors and design

of this card and pleasantly surprised how much I like it!

  Thanks for stopping by!

  Lots of love,

~Kelly

Winter card camp ~ Stamped Paper!

 

Hi friends!

Welcome to Day 3 of winter card camp where today

I am the teacher!

Oh boy.

I think in real life I'd be one who brings cupcakes to school at 7 am,

has disco music on during class

 and would put my feet up on the desk!

So ... it's probably a good thing that's not the profession I chose ;)

For today, my class is easy peasy!

Like so ridiculously easy!

Sneak Peeks:

Supplies need:

 Any magazine, ink and a stamp w/ a matching die if desired

(you can always just fussy cut!)

The idea behind these cards started during the holidays.

We were getting catalog after catalog in our mailbox,

and most were unsolicisted and went into the trash.

A few I kept and thought - these are too nice to get rid of!

At the very least, use them for ......... something. anything.

Pick your magazine page and ink up a stamp.

Stamp directly onto your magazine paper and let it dry.

The paper tends to be a little slick - so a heat gun may be good, too

but not necessary.

Once it's dry, die cut/fussy cut your image and add it to your card.

Super simple!

I lining up the dies to see where I'll get the words I like

since this one will be a full word stamped images.

Here's my first card using Concord and 9 Festive Friends.

I chose this one and this paper because it was from the Boy's Life

Boy Scout magazine my son gets.

He likes the jokes, I like the hero stories that are in it

but for this card, I chose one intentionally with words on it.

Their troop sells Christmas trees each year at a lot to fundraise,

so I thought this girl holding package would be a good choice.

Even the background was another page from the magazine!

Next up, this card is using floral images from a magazine,

cut to smaller pieces for easier stamping.

I'm using Magnolia from Neat and Tangled

and stamped on the magazine and die cut the images.

I die cut the frame and then cut an identical one on white cardstock.

They are glued together using only the top of the magazine paper,

the bottom is white cardstock.

Next, I used varied scraps of the floral bouquets for my images

and I stamped directly onto the paper.

Using the matching dies, I cut those out and started my card

assembly, adding them to the front and adding a sentiment.

I love the unique look the paper gives it!

          I chose this sentiment because beauty is truly everywhere,

including in junk mail :)

Thanks for getting this far!

Thank you for stopping by!

The Elf on the Shelf! :)

 Hi friends! 

 Happy December!

                We are almost in 2021, friends! Can you believe it?!                           In a blink, it will be Christmas but FIRST ........

                      I have to get through 3 December birthdays!                        Out of my 4 kids, 3 have a birthday this month .. 

Yes, the craziest month on the planet but we make it memorable!

 Today's card is in honor of our crazy cute Elf on the Shelf 

that returns every year!  

Our granddaughter, Alice, who turned 2 recently, has her own Elf

so the magic begins anew!

I used the Elfs and Their Shelf stamps and dies from Neat and Tangled.

Oh how I wanted this set!

I wasn't near the internet when it was retired and when I heard about 

the sale, it was gone gone GONE!

I waited and waited and searched and searched through sales

and finally through an ISO on Facebook, another crafter sent it my way!

I was OVER THE MOON!

Love love love it :)

I concentrated on using just a couple of colors,

mainly green and red with a pop of a darker green.

I used a stencil ever so lightly for the background

and just popped them all up on foam tape for dimension.

The inside reads:  I elfing love you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings :)

~Kelly

National Fossil Day ~ CCEE1942

Hi friends!

It must be my birthday - it's National Fossil Day!

Hee hee!

I sure feel that old most days

with a hip that doesn't want to walk and a foot that won't work ;)

It's time for a new challenge at the CCEE Stampers blog!

I'm the hostess for the month of October and thought it would be neat

to showcase cards based on Nat'l Fossil Day, which was yesterday.

 

  A fossil is a preserved impression of a once-living thing

 from a past geological age, including plants, animals, shells, and more.
  The challenge this week is to create a card including anything that has been found as a fossil -- dinosaurs, leaves, amber, footprints, etc.

 

For my card today,

I've used a sweet stamp set called Prehistoric

by Neat and Tangled.

Ohhhh I absolutely adore this stamp company!

I think this set is retired now ~ it was released in 2017 .. I think!

 I stamp/cut/colored the images with copic markers

 and set those aside to create the scene.

I used distress oxide inks, blended to create a night sky,

The little stars are a white signo pen just dotted about

and the mountains are from a die-namic from My Favorite Things.

 

In hindsight, I needed a bigger card base... one that was longer!

The card seems a bit squished now that I see it,

trying to fit all the focal points on but it's still sweet :)

You can see the design team cards here on the blog post,

as well as link up yours, too!

We'd LOVE to see what you make with the fossil theme!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

3M: Alice's Birthday ♥

Hello!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Today I have a very special card that was created for a very special lady

 ~ my little granddaughter, Alice, who just turned ONE on Sunday. 

 I can barely believe it!

 I feel like we blinked and the year flew by!

I'll post photos of her birthday soon ♥

 

It's my turn to host the monthly card group challenge with the 3M.

That would be Barb, Jeanette and myself ...

and the creative genius behind the 3 Musketeers is Jeanette!

The idea is we take turns sending a stamped image to each other,

once a month, create a card with it

and post it on the 9th of each month.

This month, I chose Neat and Tangled's Piece of Cake.

I saw this stamp set on the website and just had. to. have. it! 

I started with a simple background of sponged distress oxide inks

and let it dry for a few hours.

Once it was, I colored and cut the stamped image and foam

mounted it to the card stock base.

I did decorate the inside with a note for Alice ♥

In hindsight, I wish I'd done a little something else to the front 

but she's only a 1 year old!

Her mama will put this away in a keepsake box, I'm sure.

 

You can see Barb's card here and

Jeanette's card here!

I still need to play catch-up with last month's image

and it's crunch time now that the big party is over :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE: Graduation ... circa 1959!

Hi friends!

I'm late for the graduation party

from the CCEE Stampers!

 

 Lois is our hostess for the June challenges

and is reflecting on the 60th anniversary of her graduation from high school -- circa June 9, 1959!

  The challenge is to make a card depicting their favorite subject in school.

 

This was an easy one for me ~

Art Class!

Every time I got the chance, I would draw and doodle and paint ~

just like most of you, I'm sure!

Now here we are - still coloring and painting and making cards!

My card is using the Complimentary Colors kids from Neat and Tangled.

I thought it was a perfect match for the theme!

I created the gorgeous backdrop by blending distress oxide inks

and adding to the card base.

 

I can't take credit for the original design of this card :)

This week, the Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststampers is Wanda Cullen!

Her gallery is one I could just wander through and more than once!

You can see her card here.

I've kept the original design and changed the colors and the stamped images.

You can see the design team cards here on the CCEE blog

as well as link up to add your card, too!

Thanks for visiting today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE: Coloring Book Day :)

Hello friends!

Today I'm sharing a card with you for today's nationally celebrated day ~

Coloring Book Day!

Coloring?

Yes, please!

That is one fun day to celebrate for us card makers :)

Frances is our hostess for the month of August 

and she has a month of FUN planned!

For today's challenge, she asked us to use an image on our card

that needs to be colored.

And I do hope a little forgiveness will be allotted ...

I colored this card previously for a very dear friend of mine,
but I hadn't posted it here on my blog.

But, I can report - she loved the card :)

I used my Neat and Tangled stamps 

called Better Together 

The colors are a little whimsical as I based them as stuffed animals

rather than a real puppy and bear.

Be sure to stop in the CCEE blog and

see all the coloring inspired cards this week.

You can find them here on the blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE ~ Red for Anne!

Hi friends!

It's time for a new challenge over at the CCEE Stampers blog,

brought to us by Anne ~ our hostess for May.

Her challenge is "Red for Anne", her favorite color!

For my card, I wanted to create a card with my Neat and Tangled

 Better Together and use red as the main color. 

Red is so vibrant and rich ~ a perfect compliment to give your card a POP!

This card was a bit of a challenge, and a triumph :)

I absolutely ADORE this card!

One of the things I'm trying to learn is skin colors.
I tend to lean towards the peaches and light skin colors because it's easy!

I color with prismacolor markers (and now Azure markers!)

but do have a few Copics for coloring skin (E00, E01, E11)
I had to use a few different prismacolors to create all the friends here :)

 

I stamped out the images and did a bit of masking to create the 

friends standng next to each other.  

Based on the direction of the animels they are holding,

I added them right to left to allow them not to overlap.

 For the sentiment, I fussy cut the word 'you'.

I did buy the matching dies for this set but the word you didn't have one ..

and that's okay! Improvise!

You can see what the rest of the CCEE Stampers created for Red for Anne

this week by heading over to the blog.

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

I'll enter this card to:  WordArtWednesday - 

~Kelly 

Peek-a-boo Easter Porthole card ♥

Hi friends!  

Today I have a fun-fold card for the CCEE Stampers challenge.

But first, it's that bittersweet time to say goodbye to the Drive By Crafts

Design Team as my 3 month term has come to an end.

It was been wonderful being part of such talent

and I know I'll continue to be a customer ~ I hope you will be, too!

My card today is a pretty Peek-a-boo surprise inside Porthole card!

I love all things with a storybook character look,

so for my last DBC card submission, I inked up

the adorable Cottontail Cuties stamps and dies from Neat and Tangled. 

Since Easter is going to be here soon, I thought it would be fun

to make a few more cards!

I first stamped the Cottontail cutie girl onto the cardstock,

and then masked that off to stamp the bunnies

 as if they were peeking from the sides of her.

After stamping, die cutting and coloring the rest of the images,
I set those aside to make the card base and port hole,

created from a circular punch or you can easily use your circular dies, too.

 

I added various designer paper to create a sky/grass and 

adhered that to the inside of my card to create my little spring scene - 

another favorite thing I like to do with card making ♥

One the images were adhered into place,

I stamped the sentiment to the front panel and onto the dsp on the inside.

 I think this might just be one of my favorite types of fun fold cards 

and certainly one of my favorite spring stamp sets :)

You can find the products I used here in the online store

or more details about Drive By Crafts on the blog.

And don't forget to sign up for the newsletter so you don't miss 

out on upcoming sales, new arrivals AND awesome discounts!

The clearance section is amazaing!

Now head on over to the CCEE Stampers blog and see

what super fun folds the girls made this week!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Happy Easter with Cottontail Cuties!

Hello, friends!

This is such a beautiful time of year here ~ spring is in the air!

This is one of my favorite times,

the blossom of newness and the promise of a wonderful beginning.

While some of my friends are still under a blanket of snow,

I'm sure the sun will peek out soon and the earth will awaken :)

And spring means Easter!

Since I'm up on the Drive by Crafts blog today, 

I thought an Easter card would be perfect to showcase,

especially with the absolutely adorable Cottontail Cuties from Neat and Tangled!

 

Oh.  Be.  Still.  My.  Heart!

 

The moment I spied this, it reminded me so much of my daughters 

and the years of Easter egg hunts in our back yard,

including the famous golden egg!

Oh how they searched and searched for those prized eggs!!

(I would have, too, since we hid some big money inside - usually $20!)

Hmmmm,

maybe the Easter Bunny will hide one this year - for moms! LOL!

 

 

Here's how I made my Happy Easter card ...

First, I stamped the little girl and her wagon, the bunnies, and the eggs

and colored them with Prismacolor markers in colors that would match

the designer paper I'd already picked out as 'flowers + grass'.

I used the N + T nice and neat dies and my Cuttlebug to cut the images out,

and then set those aside to assemble my card base.

 

The card base is a simple A2 size card using heavy weight card stock.

The scallop insert has Doodlebug paper that I cut with a stitched die

which is actually a speech bubble!  I re-purposed it as a hill :) 

The paper was so bright and vivid against the stark white,

it just gives is such a pop!

Since I wanted the card to have some dimension,

I added 3d foam behind all of the elements to make them stand out.

And that's my Easter card ~

total cuteness overload ♥

I'll be using this set over and over ~ so many different possibilities,

and that's what usually catches my eye with a stamp/die set ..

the many ways to use it, including all year 'round if I can :)

 

You can find the supplies that I made this card with and many more

in the Drive By Crafts online store!

Take a peek and stock up on some of your must haves,

including new releases from many companies and some great deals 

in the clearance section, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by ~
your sweet words warm my heart and brighten my world, truly ♥

Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

 

 

CCEE1801: Waddle I do? + *GIVEAWAY!*

Hi friends!

I have a card and a *Giveaway* for today's post ...
make sure you read alllllll the way to the end ♥

The CCEE Stampers are back after a long winter's nap :)

We took the holidays off to celebrate with our families ~

and are starting off the new year with a new challenge: Penguins!

Liz is our hostess and asked us to create a card with the theme:

Waddle I do in 2018? 
 Use a penguin or other cold weather animal on your card.
 I do love penguins!
I have many penguin stamps and chose to ink up my Neat and Tangled 
stamp set again because I didn't get to use it enough this Christmas :-(
It was one of my favorites for making holiday cards this year ♥

Waddle I do in 2018?

My wish for this year is to embrace my Word of the Year (coming tomorrow!)
AND it starts today ~ with a giveaway!
I purchased several stamp sets after Thanksgiving for this Christmas
and ended up not using most of them.
Since today is all about penguins,
I thought I'd send you some sunshine-y happy mail
 in your mailbox to one lucky winner :)

But first ..... my card!

  Using Santa's Wonderland from Neat and Tangled,
I stamped/colored/glittered the penguin and then ran it through the cuttlebug.
I made the snow banks using Pink and Main scallop dies and used the same 
circle die as the penguin to round out the snow banks ~ then added glue/glitter.

For the card base, I used cardstock, rounded the edges,
and added the dsp and paper circle and border.
The inside (not shown) is stamped with the North Pole and snow balls :)

I hope you are staying warm and bundling up!
Speaking of snuggling up, I'm giving away to one lucky winner this stamp and die
set today by Stampendous.
Just leave me a comment and if you like, share your favorite thing about winter!
And yes - 
I will ship worldwide!

Good Luck, friends!

Lastly, please be sure to stop in the CCEE Stampers blog
and check out the adorable line up of penguins.
You can find them here -
and of course, if you link up your card to a gallery or other site,
use the keyword CCEE1801.

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥
~Kelly